Now that the Superbowl is over I feel comfortable starting a new 2016 thread.
The biggest news (IMHO) out of Superbowl X was the retirement of Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch and what that means for the future of the Seattle Seahawks.
Lynch's retirement immediately saves Seattle $6.5M in cap space for 2016 (with the option of saving another $5M between 2017 and 2018 if Seattle goes after his bonus - which the team is not expected to do).
The savings Lynch provides by retiring will be put to good use as Seattle has many holes to fill and many free agents to (re)sign. The biggest and most obvious hole is the offensive line, and with the impending departure of LT Okung to free agency, Seattle is in the market for a blind side protector for Wilson in addition to the rest of the well discussed OL needs. JR Sweezy is also heading into free agency but he can be considered a replacement level guard and Seattle will only sign him if the deal makes sense for the team.
The other three significant impending FA's are OLB/DE Bruce Irvin, CB Jeremy Lane, and WR Jermaine Kearse.
Irvin is expected to move on as the cost to resign him outweighs the value he provides. His cost is likely to be significantly higher than Seattle can or will want to afford given the recent contract signed by PHL DE Vinny Curry. Resigning Irvin goes completely against John Schneider's philosophy of drafting linebackers and signing pass rushers. There are too many teams that have cap space and need at the OLB/DE position for Irvin to give Seattle a bargain deal.
Lane is an interesting case in that he has missed 19 of the last 32 games Seattle has played over the last two seasons and didnt have his first career interception until SuperBowl XLIX. The teaser for Lane is that he has followed a long line of successful CBs in SEA and could easily have some team take a contract flyer on him. Seattle will look for a 1-2 year deal on Lane which should allow him to prove he can survive the physical demands of the NFL and still sign a big deal when he turns 27 or 28 years old.
Kearse has played his last snap in a Seahawks uniform. Kearse is a decent-to-good receiver but he has maxed out his talent and isnt worth a large deal from Seattle. Kearse is looking to get paid this off-season and has said as much on twitter.
There are three other player who are under contract but are worth mentioning as what Seattle does with them in the off-season will significantly help shape the teams future.
The first to mention is Kam Chancellor who is entering year three of the four year contract extension he signed in 2013. His current cap number is $6.1M and if released/traded he could provide Seattle $4.1M in savings. Chancellor got burned frequently on pass coverage once he returned from his holdout and he wasnt the same enforcer Seattle had seen in previous years. Pete Carroll has said he wants to keep the team together but very few of the scenarios I have read keep Chancellor in Seattle.
The second under contract player worth mentioning is Michael Bennett who is also entering the third year of a four year contract signed in 2014. Bennett is criminally underpaid compared to the value he has provided to Seattle. Bennett will probably play out the 2016 season and then get resigned/extended when he has a single year left in his deal.
The final under contract player worth mentioning is Doug Baldwin who is entering the final year of the contract extension he signed in 2013. Baldwin elevated his game this year and became the primary and reliable target for Russell Wilson. I have zero clue what Seattle will do with Baldwin because he is not a true/pure number one receiver but he is the best Seattle has right now and he also has a great relationship with Wilson.
The biggest news (IMHO) out of Superbowl X was the retirement of Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch and what that means for the future of the Seattle Seahawks.
Lynch's retirement immediately saves Seattle $6.5M in cap space for 2016 (with the option of saving another $5M between 2017 and 2018 if Seattle goes after his bonus - which the team is not expected to do).
The savings Lynch provides by retiring will be put to good use as Seattle has many holes to fill and many free agents to (re)sign. The biggest and most obvious hole is the offensive line, and with the impending departure of LT Okung to free agency, Seattle is in the market for a blind side protector for Wilson in addition to the rest of the well discussed OL needs. JR Sweezy is also heading into free agency but he can be considered a replacement level guard and Seattle will only sign him if the deal makes sense for the team.
The other three significant impending FA's are OLB/DE Bruce Irvin, CB Jeremy Lane, and WR Jermaine Kearse.
Irvin is expected to move on as the cost to resign him outweighs the value he provides. His cost is likely to be significantly higher than Seattle can or will want to afford given the recent contract signed by PHL DE Vinny Curry. Resigning Irvin goes completely against John Schneider's philosophy of drafting linebackers and signing pass rushers. There are too many teams that have cap space and need at the OLB/DE position for Irvin to give Seattle a bargain deal.
Lane is an interesting case in that he has missed 19 of the last 32 games Seattle has played over the last two seasons and didnt have his first career interception until SuperBowl XLIX. The teaser for Lane is that he has followed a long line of successful CBs in SEA and could easily have some team take a contract flyer on him. Seattle will look for a 1-2 year deal on Lane which should allow him to prove he can survive the physical demands of the NFL and still sign a big deal when he turns 27 or 28 years old.
Kearse has played his last snap in a Seahawks uniform. Kearse is a decent-to-good receiver but he has maxed out his talent and isnt worth a large deal from Seattle. Kearse is looking to get paid this off-season and has said as much on twitter.
There are three other player who are under contract but are worth mentioning as what Seattle does with them in the off-season will significantly help shape the teams future.
The first to mention is Kam Chancellor who is entering year three of the four year contract extension he signed in 2013. His current cap number is $6.1M and if released/traded he could provide Seattle $4.1M in savings. Chancellor got burned frequently on pass coverage once he returned from his holdout and he wasnt the same enforcer Seattle had seen in previous years. Pete Carroll has said he wants to keep the team together but very few of the scenarios I have read keep Chancellor in Seattle.
The second under contract player worth mentioning is Michael Bennett who is also entering the third year of a four year contract signed in 2014. Bennett is criminally underpaid compared to the value he has provided to Seattle. Bennett will probably play out the 2016 season and then get resigned/extended when he has a single year left in his deal.
The final under contract player worth mentioning is Doug Baldwin who is entering the final year of the contract extension he signed in 2013. Baldwin elevated his game this year and became the primary and reliable target for Russell Wilson. I have zero clue what Seattle will do with Baldwin because he is not a true/pure number one receiver but he is the best Seattle has right now and he also has a great relationship with Wilson.